Bernard Sherman – Canadian Pharma Giant

Bernard “Barry” Sherman is the creator of the Canadian company Apotex that sells over 300 generic drugs to 120 countries. Today, Apotex is one of the top fifteen pharmaceutical companies in the world.

Sherman studied at the University of Toronto in the Engineering Science program and graduated with high honors. He even received the Governor General’s Award for his thesis from the university. Then Sherman went on to MIT where he obtained a Doctoral degree in astrophysics.

He started in the pharmaceutical industry, when he was in university, at his uncle's company – Empire Laboratories. While his uncle traveled for business, he would take care of the operations and this is where he obtained his training and foundation in the industry.

Right after he finished his Ph.D. in astrophysics, he purchased the Empire Group, as both his aunt and uncle had passed away. In 1972, he sold Empire Laboratories and started Apotex with some former personnel from Empire.

In 2016, he was ranked the 286th richest person in the world, moving up from the 435th spot last year. With an estimated worth of approximately $4.7 billion, he is the fifth richest Canadian according to Forbes.

The masculine name Bernard is derived from the Germanic element bern that means “bear” and is combined with the word hard meaning “hardy or brave”. The name was brought to England by the Normans, where it replaced the name Beornhear an Old English cognate. The name has been given to many saints, from Saint Bernard of Menthon to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.